


Baby Bat

by JeanOurQueen



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Cross my heart, I swear after the first chapter there will be lots of fluff, Tiny!Cass, big brother dami making sure nothing hurts smol bby cass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-29 04:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8475316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeanOurQueen/pseuds/JeanOurQueen
Summary: “Cassie?”
The room is dead silent as the other three look up as well, finally noticing the miniature Cassandra crouching on the bed and watching them intently. Dick’s mind is reeling as he thinks back to what Damian had said about the case the three of them had been working on. Something about a sorcerer and a stolen wand, using some kind of shrinking spell to help him break in and out of banks. Or well, at least that’s what they had thought.
“Holy shit.” is all he manages to get out before his tiny sister lands a blow to his jaw, knocking him out.





	1. Chapter 1

“ _No!”_ Black Bat’s scream rings out across the alley as she tackles Robin to the ground, using her body to shield him from an incoming bolt of magic.

 

She could see it in the way the sorcerer had moved, the look in his eyes as he glanced at Robin. He had intended on killing him, killing her brother. Some part of her realizes that it was just a ploy to take her and Red Hood by surprise-- after all, they were the closer and more immediately dangerous targets as far as he knew, Robin being further away and clearly much younger than either of them. He had been uncertain of his ability to kill any but the smallest in their little group, so he had targeted robin in the hopes of making them hesitate long enough to get away. There was no hesitation in what she did, however, no second guessing herself or fearing for the outcome. There was only the split second between when he decided he would kill Robin and when she was throwing herself over him to save him. The split second between her scream and an explosion of pain in her lower back.

 

“What are you _doing?!”_ Robin’s voice is furious as he struggles beneath her, trying to figure out what's going on, why she tackled him, “Black Bat what are\-- What did you--”

 

“M’Sorry...” she mumbles, trying to lift her head, trying to see him so she can explain. But for some reason her eyes are closed and they just... Won’t open.

 

“Black Bat?” she can feel him shaking beneath her as that anger turns to fear, can hear Red Hood swearing and the magician screaming as Damian makes a noise that sounds suspiciously like crying, “Cain! Cain _open your eye_ s _!”_

 

And she tries to. She tries  _ so hard _ to open her eyes back up for him, to tell him she’s alright but she can’t and somehow... Somehow she’s okay with that.

 

“Cai-- Cassandra! Cassandra _please.”_

 

She thinks, as the sounds of her brothers voices fade and the pain in her back starts to spread, that this isn’t such a bad way to die. Not really, anyways. There's nothing bad about dying to save someone, especially not someone you love as much as she does her baby brother. She just hopes that they’ll all be able to forgive her for sacrificing herself for him like this. Hopes Robin won’t blame himself too much. Batman won’t be angry, she’s sure. He’ll understand her choice... He’s always understood her choices, when they mattered.

 

“ _CASSANDRA!”_

 

** *** **

 

“When will she wake,” Damian demands, watching like a hawk as Alfred check’s the vitals of his sister.

 

“I’m afraid, Master Damian, that I have absolutely no idea,” Alfred says it with a frown, not looking up as he continues with the last few tests.

 

“But she __will__ wake?” Damian’s ice-blue eyes are narrowed, glaring at Alfred.

 

“Master Damian you have asked me this ten times in the past half hour,” the butler sighs, finally looking up at him, “I don’t know any more now than I did then.”

 

Damian opens his mouth to continue his inquisition only to have the sound of his voice drowned out by Dick and Tim’s motorcycles roaring into the cave. The boy’s all but flew off the bikes, running towards them. Alfred turns to walk briskly to meet them as they dash across the cave. Damian, however, refuses to move.

 

“We got your message is--” Dick begins, only to be cut off by a panicked-looking Tim

 

“ Where is she? Is she alright? What  _ happened  _ to her?”

 

“ Chill out replacement,” Jason says, sounding  _ far _ too calm for the situation as he steps out of the changing room, “Little miss perfect is right over there having a nap. Oh and me and the kid are fine, by the way. Thanks for asking.”

 

“ I am  _ not _ a kid!” Damian snaps at him, glaring intently at all four of them from where he’s perched almost protectively beside Cassandra’s bed, unintentionally shielding her from their view.

 

“Could’ve fooled me short stuff,” Jason sneers back, glaring just as intently.

 

“ For the love of god will you two just  _ stop?” _ Dick demands, stepping in before their almost-argument can result in blows.

 

“ I’ll go and fetch Master Bruce, he wanted to know when you arrived,” Alfred sighs, “Master Dick, if you could please keep your brothers from killing each other until  _ after _ I’ve returned it would be most helpful.”

 

“ Sure thing Al,” Dick says, frowning, “But what  _ happened _ to her?”

 

“It... Would be easier if you went and seen for yourself, sir.” And with that he disappears up the stairs to go find Bruce, leaving Dick with his brothers who have, for the moment, stopped fighting.

 

“ Back off, Drake. Cain needs to  _ rest, _ not deal with you forcing your much unwanted presence upon her.” Or not.

 

Dick let’s out a sigh. Somehow, he knew the lack of fighting wouldn’t last. Still the ten second break in it was much appreciated, while it lasted.

 

“Right, like you’re one to talk mister I’ve-been-hovering-over-her-god-knows-how-long! Cassie’s my sister too, not to mention one of my best friends and if I want to come over here and make sure she’s okay I--”

 

Tim’s cut off as Damian’s foot collides nearly collides with his face, leaving him swearing as he dodges the 80 pound ball of rage who suddenly seems intent on stabbing him before starting to fight back. Jason mutters to himself-- presumably something abut them all being idiots-- as Dick briefly rubs his temples before making eye contact with his only brother  _ not _ currently trying to maim one of the others. Jason rolls his eyes, nodding ever so slightly before they leap into the fray.

 

Several minutes and a few well placed punches finds Dick restraining Tim by the arms and Jason just flat out sitting on Damian. Dick was about to start in on a lecture about how they need to  _ not _ be trying to kill each other while Cassandra is hurt when Tim let’s out a small, choked off noise, staring up at the bed.

 

“ _Cassie?”_

 

The room is dead silent as the other three look up as well, finally noticing the miniature Cassandra crouching on the bed and watching them intently. Dick’s mind is reeling as he thinks back to what Damian had said about the case the three of them had been working on. Something about a sorcerer and a stolen wand, using some kind of shrinking spell to help him break in and out of banks. Or well, at least that’s what they had thought.

 

“Holy shit.” is all he manages to get out before his tiny sister lands a blow to his jaw, knocking him out.

 


	2. Chapter 2

It takes them three and a half hours before they can find Cassandra. Or well, three and a half hours before they can find her _without_ her knocking the person unlucky enough to locate her out with a well placed nerve strike. Still despite the four of them having had their asses kicked and handed to them repeatedly by a little girl, the boys all look extremely relieved when Bruce finally makes his way back to the main part of the cave holding the hand of their now tiny sister. When she sees them, however, she looks uneasy. She starts trailing a little bit behind Bruce, her stance defensive.

 

“It’s alright Cassandra,” and there it is, that gentle tone Bruce only uses with small children, “They’re not going to hurt you.”

 

Cassandra frowns, glancing from Bruce to the boys like she’s trying to figure something out. She slowly drops Bruce’s hand and steps forwards, approaching Tim-- who was the closest-- cautiously. He kneels down so he can be close to eye level with her, watching her just as closely as she’s watching him. Her tiny hand reaches out, touching the side of his face that doesn’t have an icepack pressed to it. When Tim makes no move to remove her hand her eyebrows knit together like she’s upset, her eyes trailing over to the icepack.

 

“I’m alright,” he says after a moment, smiling a bit at her and moving the icepack so she can see, “No harm done Cassie.”

 

She continues to stare at him for a moment longer, lips pressed together in a thin line. She drops the hand on his face and holds up her other in a fist, offering it to him like she’s going for a fist-bump. The gesture is startlingly familiar. So familiar, in fact, that he can practically hear Bruce telling him and Dick “ _It’s how she says hello.”_ the first time that they met. Swallowing hard at the confirmation of what he had already suspected, Tim gently presses his fist to hers, causing her to smile.

 

“She can’t talk anymore,” Dick realizes, seeming to come to the same conclusion Tim had.

 

“No,” Bruce says after a moment, “She can’t.”

 

Cassandra makes her way over to Dick now as the rest of them let that sink in, offering her fist to him as well. He grins and accepts the offer, pressing his fist to hers before pulling her into a hug. She let’s out a small, questioning noise-- after all knowing what someones going to do doesn’t always explain _why_ \-- but let’s him. Dick doesn’t exactly _say_ anything to explain the hug, just squeezes her a bit tighter. Still, he knows she must understand at least _part_ of what he was trying to tell her when she hugs him back, eyes closed.

 

“What the hell are you two talking about,” Jason all but growls at Bruce, “What the everloving fuck did that stupid ass magician do to my si-- partner. What the fuck did he do to my partner.”

 

There is absolutely _no way in hell_ that anybody in there missed that almost-slip-up, but there is also no way in hell Jason’s ever going to admit he thinks of Cassandra as his sister. After all if she’s his sister and Bruce is her dad that would make Bruce _his_ dad which isn’t something he _ever_ intends on admitting. At least, not to Bruce anyways.

 

“What he did, Jason, was revert both her mind and body back to the state it was when she was a child,”

 

“Yeah well that still doesn’t explain why she can’t fucking _talk_ Bruce.”

 

Cassandra seems to be growing less content with being cuddled by Dick, trying to watch Bruce and Jason

 

“You are aware,” Bruce is-- remarkably-- keeping his cool, “That Cassandra can understand the way people move like you and I understand English,”

 

“Yeah, I know,” he sounds frustrated, “It’s why she’s so good at fighting.”

 

“Yes, and it is also why she can’t currently talk. Because for a long time that was the _only_ language she understood.”

 

Finally manoeuvring herself out of her oldest brother’s arms, Cassandra hesitantly wanders over to an angrily silent Jason. His arms are crossed firmly across his chest as he looks down at her, angry and uncertain. She tugs on one of his wrists-- gentle but insistent-- until he finally let’s it drop down into her grip. She smiles at him, balling his hand into a fist for him and then lifting it up and pressing her fist against it.

 

“When will she be fixed?” it’s Damian who speaks up now, sudden and demanding

 

“We _will_ be able to help her, right?” Tim asks, having been letting Bruce explain with silent concern.

 

“It’s... Hard to say,” Bruce frowns, following their gazes over to Cassandra who is now touching Jason’s face, much like she had Tim’s, “I contacted Zatanna earlier, but until I hear back from her there’s not much we can do aside from make her feel at home.”

 

“Fine,” Damian’s voice is more than a little resigned, “Then I’ll be the one to do so.”

 

“Oh like hell you will,” Tim glares over at him, their temporary truce long forgotten.

 

“I am currently the closest in age to her. Me being the one to help her adjust is the logical choice--”

 

“Logical my ass. I was the one who helped her adjust to living here in the _first_ _place_ \--”

 

“We will _all_ help her to adjust,” Bruce says, raising his voice over the two of them, “Together.”

 

Damian resigns himself to muttering “fine” and glaring down at his lap. His hands are clenched into fists in an attempt to make their shaking stop. Tim mutters to himself and walks over to where Bruce and Dick are talking about possible courses of action should Zatanna not know how to reverse the spell.

 

“Well while you three are busy I’m gonna head out,” Jason informs them all, rising up from the crouch he had been hugging Cassandra in, “See what I can find out about the bastard that did this.”

 

Bruce nods, “Call me if you find anything.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Jason says, waving at Cass before hopping onto his bike and roaring away.

 

Tim, Bruce and Dick go back to their conversation and Cass-- finally-- makes her way over to Damian who is absolutely not sulking. He watches her with a frown as she looks up at him, hesitantly raising his fist to offer it to her. She grins excitedly, lifting her hand up to meet his before climbing up and sitting beside him on the. She frowns and looks at his arm-- the one she had dislocated earlier when he tried cornering her-- before looking down at her hands. The guilty expression on her face has him pressing his lips together in a thing line, just barely restraining himself from pulling her into a hug.

 

“ _-tt-_ I’m fine, you know,” he informs her, “I’m a lot tougher than Drake and Todd. They’re weaklings.”

 

She looks back up at him, still frowning. He huffs a bit and hops off, offering a hand to help her down.

 

“Come on, Cain. We’re going to see if Pennyworth made any cookies.”

 

Bruce watches his daughter take his youngest son’s hand and follow him up the stairs into the mansion. He can’t help but smile a little at how overprotective Damian seems to be of her. Of course, the knowledge that those feelings are-- at least partially-- fuelled by guilt is enough to make the small smile fade away and return his full attention to the conversation about how to get her back to normal.

 

He’s got a lot of work ahead of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now I can finally start posting all that good and fluffy sibling bonding the boys are gonna be doing with the smol bby. 10/10 would hug again lol


End file.
